IPOB which said this on Monday in a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, therefore charged Igbo business owners including importers and exporters to start using Onne Seaport at Igweocha to import and export their goods instead.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said that the Nigerian government deliberately neglected all the seaports in the South-East region of the country.
IPOB which said this on Monday in a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, therefore charged Igbo business owners including importers and exporters to start using Onne Seaport at Igweocha to import and export their goods instead.
Powerful stated that “IPOB expresses concern over the political and economic strangulation policies by the Nigerian government that have frustrated the investment and development of Southeast since 1999.
“Among such economic policies was the shutting down of functional Seaports in South-East territory, which includes Onne, Warri, and Calabar seaports, but leaving Lagos seaport as the only functional Ports. The consequences of such greedy and selfishness policy created a population surge nightmare and uncontrollable human and vehicular traffic in Lagos.
“The ugly situation in Lagos City and the Ports therein has forced the Nigerian government to revive Onne port. Currently, Onne port at Igweocha is partially functional, though with some operational and management hitches that will be solved soon.
“Be as it may, IPOB calls on Ndigbo importers and exporters to route their imports and exports through the Onne port. We advise our people to ignore the state imposed operational hitches but to push through to break the state imposed barriers by patronising the Onne port.”
The IPOB spokesperson noted that with time, what he described as imposed barriers would be eliminated by people’s consistency to import and export through Onne port.
According to him, “No Igbo importer should think that they'll shut down Lagos State ports or make the operations of Onne port very effective and efficient like Lagos ports.”
He stressed that the proximity of Onne Port to the coastal and hinterland of the South East is better than transporting from Lagos to the region.
Powerful further stated that “The illegal checkpoints imposed by the Nigeria Military, DSS Police, Customs, immigration, Civil Defense thouts, and so on along Lagos-Eastern region roads make it uneconomically viable to import through Lagos Port.
“IPOB is calling all Biafran businessmen and women to bring their whole or part of their investment back home. We are poised to make our land an investment destination for the world even as we work hard for the restoration of the free and independent State of Biafra.
“Nigeria had meted harsh economic policies against Ndigbo and will impose more harsh economic policies against our people.
“We are warning you ahead of time to think home and invest in Biafra Land, where your investment will be more secure and protected.
“Finally, IPOB encourages Ndigbo importers and exporters to make use of Onne ports in Igweocha Rivers State State as a viable option against Lagos Ports. We should not allow the State imposed technical and operational barriers to outweigh the economic benefits to Ndigbo and to the importers themselves.”